Guide box



Sept. 20, 1932. p L, COYLE 1,877,822

' V GUIDE BOX Filed Nov. 12, 1929 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 i sept. 2o,` 1932. L CQYLE 1,877,822

GUIDE BOX Filed Nov. l2, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -57 Ui Il 0 ,',YJ 'l 4l L .3a f

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k l- PL J 59 l 40 ffl/H1@ 'j @l Z8 mvENToR Maf Patented Sept.' A2o, 1932 UNITED'STATES PATENT OFFICE PAUL L. 0F COBAOPOLIS, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

T0 REPUBLIC STEEL CORPORATION, 0F TION 0F NEW 4'I'EBSE'Y JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORA- GUIDE BOX appucauon mea November 12, 1929. semi no. 406,626.l

10 in which a rudimentary leader is passed through rolls which give it the desired form. example is in the rolling of rear axle shafts, -wherein the leader employed is'of elliptical cross-section, and is carried by a table on the entrance side of the rolls, supported so that the major axis of the section is in a substantially vertical position.. As the rolls turn, the roller gauges by eye the proper instant at which to start the leader through the 2 rolls to insure that the end of the leader will be 'engaged by the rolls in proper registry with the matrix grooves therein. At this instant, the roller seizes the leader with his tongs' and pulls it up to the point where the rolls en geit. After the rolls have engaged the lead; and accelerated it to the rolling speed, laterally retractible guides are closed in upon the leader to effect the proper guiding of the leader.

` It is known that, as the leader is rolled, its linear velocity varies with the cross-sectional area of the matrix groove. This varying velocity has an effect on the length of the rolled article. The acceleration and deceleration of the leader during rolling, however, is not as great asthe acceleration required to start it from rest and .bring it up to` vrolling speed. This extreme acceleration has a correspondingly serious effect on the length of the finished article. It is not possible to accelerate the leader to full rolling speed by the method described above. The full acceleration is eiected vonly after the rolls seize the leader andthe resulting hitchingof the leader tends to produce finished articles of excessive length.

As a further result of the present method l of advancing the leader'to the rolls, it happens that a-portion or all ofone or more )of the rolled articles at or near the head end of the multiple length thereof produced from the entire leader 'is imperfect, because the leader is not supported so that the major axis of its section was exactly vertical when the rolls grip the leader. Since the supporting entry guides can not be closed in suiiiciently to support the leader properly until the rolls have gripped the latter, there is no means of properly positioning the leader with accuracy. Even though the entry guides are closed promptly by an operator, the imperfections inthe articles formed at thehead end of the leader result in the rejection of at least ten per cent of some types of rolled articles, such, as forging blanks, because of the fact that the leaning of the leader causes the length of the rolled article to be less than normal andalso disposes the metal in such position that it will not fill the forging die for which the blank is rolled. Since there, is no way of salvaging these imperfect blanks, the desirability of some means ofavoiding the forming of imperfect articles is apparent.

In the die rolling of rear-axle shafts for motor cars,.the fact that it is not possible to close the entry guides properly prior to the entry of the leader between the rolls causes one or more of the shafts at or near the head end of the'leader to be too short inthe long taper section. This condition necessitates considerable extra work on the shafts to render them fit for use. The imperfect shafts must be specially she'ared and-machined, and the advantage of producing articles by die rolling is largely lostvbecause of the many special operations which have to be performed on each individual article.

I employ a reciprocable guide box having retractible guidesfor seizing the leader and maintaining it in the correct vertical position before it is advanced to the rolls.V Manually operable means 'are included for actuating the guide box toward and away from the rolls. By the use of this device, it is possible to place the leader in the entry guides so that it will be properly supported prior to the entry in the rolls,- and have suilicient of its length extending through the box to insurev the rolls gripping the end of the leader when the box is advanced. It is also possible to obtain more accurate entry at the proper point in the roll grooves and thus to increase the yield, of perfect articles. The leader is more readily accelerated to full rolling speed and excessive shortening of the finished product is avoided.

A present preferred embodiment of the invention is il ustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of lthe device attached to a rolling mill, shown partly in section and partly in diagram;

Figure 2 is a side elevation, party in section, taken along the line II- -II o Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is an end elevation such as would be seen by looking at the left-hand end of Figs. 1 and 2;

' igure is a side elevation with a portion shown in sectioi' of the sliding-guide box, Aand Flgure 5 is a sectional view of the guide box along the plane of line V-V of Fig. 4.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the guide box is adapted to be employed in connection with a rolling mill comprising die rolls 10, mounted for rotation in a housing 11. The means for driving and adjusting the rolls are not part of the present invention and are therefore omitted. f

A guide rest support or bracket 12 is securedto pads 11a on the housing 11 by means of stud bolts 13. Spacing blocks 14 are positioned between the housing and the bracket vto afford pro er spacing of the latter from the housing.- he support 12' consists of av U- shaped plate 15 and a horizontal extension 16 integral therewith. The upper surface of the extension 16 has an offset 17 machined therein. The vertical portions of the bracket 12 have slots 18 for receiving the bolts 13 so .-thgt the support 12 may be adjsuted vertically ofthe housing 11.

A guide-rest or guidewa 19 is bolted to the support 12 by means of bo ts 2O and 21; The guideway 19 has a rojection-22 which covoperates with the o set 17 in the horizontal extension 16 of the support 12. The bolts 20 an`d21 pass through slots 23 and 21a inthe support 12 so that the` guideway 19'may be adjusted laterally of the support 12.

A guide box 24, which isl shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5, is` slidably mounted between upstanding lugs 25 on the guideway 19. The guide box 24 consists of a body portion 26 anda base portion 27. The base portion -27 has integral feet 28 with outstanding lugs 29 thereon. The feet 28 permit the box 24 to slidably supported on the guideway 19. Locking plates 30 are screwed to the lugs 25 by means of screws 30a in su'h position that they overlie the lugs 29 on the feet 28 to prel vent the guide box 24 from leaving the guideway. Suitable wearin plates 31 are intersed between the gui eway 19 and the feet 28 of the guide-box.

Between the feet 28 of the guide box; 24 I mount a rack bar 32, which is secured to the box by means of screws 33. Cooperating with the rack bar 32 is a gear segment 34 keyed on a shaft 35 which is journaled in suitable bushin in the depending portions 36 of the guldeway 19. A hand lever 37 is keyed to the shaft 35 so that the guide box may be actuated back and forth in the guideway 19 by shifting the lever 37. The guide box may thus be moved from its rear position, indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 2, to its foremost position, as illustrated in the same iigure.

,The guide box 24 is provided with suitable guides 38 and 39. The guide 38 is bolted to the box 24, but the guide 39 is laterally movable therem. A left-hand screw 40 is providedt control the retractible guide 39, and a hand lever 41 affords a means for operating the screw 40. vThe lever 41 preferably has a non-circular end cooperating with a similarly sha ed hole in the screw 40, after the manner o a socket wrench. The guides 38 and 39 are removableso that the may be changed to accommodateleaders of dyiflerent cross-sections.

In operating the device, the guide box 24 l I is withdrawn to its rearmost'position by turning the lever`37 in a counter-clockwise direction. The screw 40 is then actuated by raising the lever 41 to retract the guide 39. A leader is inserted between the guides 38 and 39 and the lever 41 is lowered to cause the guide 39 to engage the leader firrnly so as to support it in the proper rolling position. lThe weight of the lever `41 maintains the grip of the guides 38 and 39 on the leader. The roll hand then raises the lever 37 at the proper instant in the rotation of the rolls 10 tov advance the leader into the matrix grooves in the rolls. It will be understood that, when the leader is inserted in the guide box, suiii'cientof'the length of the leader projects from the box so that the leader will be gripped -by the rolls when-A the box is advanced to the position `illustrated in Figs. 1.

and 2.

After the rolls have seized the leader, the guides-38 and 39 continue to exert a supporting effect thereon as it is drawn through the rolls. After the leader has been drawn completely through the rolls, the guide box may bel retracte another leader inserted therein. p y

It will be apparent fromthe lforegoing that the device provides a means for supporting leaders in proper rolling position-before they are engaged by the rolls. The' device also permits the leader to be advanced to the rollsf at the proper instantwith l.a minimum of the guides opened, and

exertion on thepart of the roll hand and causes the leader to Ibe accelerated to full Vrolling s 'The adsantagea in lmethod and apparatus for advancing leadersto die rolls and guiding the movement thereof through the rolls, over the method now in vogue, will be obvious. This device makes it possible to avoid the rejection of articles by reason `of imperfections resulting from the lack of support of the leader prior to entry between the rolls. The leaders may be advanced to the rolls at the proper instant in their rotation much more easily 'by the device described than by the method formerly employed and may be accelerated substantially to rolling speed before entering the rolls to avoid the lengthening effect mentioned above.

Although I have disclosed herein only one embodiment of the invention, I do not intend to be limited to specific details thereof since the invention may'be otherwise practiced within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit thereof.

The,invention has been described as applied to die-rolling, but has utility in other rolllng processes.

I claim:

l. The combination with a pair of die rolls mounted in a housing, of a bracket adjustably mounted on said housing, a guideway adjustably secured to said bracket, a guide box slidable in said guideway having gripping means for seizing a length of metal and directing it between said rolls, a lever for actuating said means, a rack on said box, a gear segment journaled in the guideway for cooperation therewith and a lever for actuating the gear segment to shift the guide box.

2. The combination with die rolls mounted in a housing, of a bracket secured thereto, a guideway supported on the bracket and a guide box slidable in said guideway, laterally shiftable gripping means in said box for holding a length of metal as it passes between said rolls, a rack on said box, a gear segment rotatably mounted in said guideway for cooperation therewith, and means for shifting said gripping means and said segment to support the metal length as it is advanced to the roll pass and for guiding it as it is drawn therein.

3. A guide box for die rolls comprising an adjustable bracket, a guideway adjustably secured thereto, a guide box slidable in said guideway having gripping means for supporting and directing a length of metal passing through said rolls, a rack on said box, a gear segment journaled in said guideway for cooperation therewith and actuating means.

for the segment.

4. A guide for die-rolling comprising an adjustable supporting bracket, a guideway thereon, an openable guide box shiftable in said guideway, screw means for opening and tally thereon, a guide box slidable in said guideways, clamping means on said box and advancing and retract-ing means therefor.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

PAUL L. COYLE.

lll

closing the box, a rack and gear segment on said box and bracket, respectively, and levers 

